Extreme heat may lead to TA marathon cancellation

The Tel Aviv marathon may be at risk of being cancelled due to the extreme hot weather expected in Tel Aviv on Friday. Even if the full 42.2 km race is cancelled, the other events, including the half marathon and the ten kilometer race, will go forward.

Citing health concerns related to the heat, representatives of the Ministry of Health asked the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa to cancel the full marathon and to only hold the half marathon so that the last runners would cross the finish line by 830 a.m., Army Radio reported.

The marathon website notified runners that all race start times have been brought forward half an hour due to the foretasted heat.

Danny Moran, a physiologist and expert on healthy lifestyle with the Health Ministry, recommended that runners planning to take part in the full marathon run no more than the half race and that all runners should finish running in the various events by 8:30 a.m. Moran expected that at 8 a.m the temperature will be 30 degrees and it will gradually rise to 36 degrees by midday.

Moran stressed that running the entire marathon could cause fainting, and hypothermia.

The Israel Meteorological Service has called for "sharav" conditions on Friday which is a scorching hot wind from the Arabian desert that can last for days.

The Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa said that there would be changes made to the marathon routes because of the expected heat wave and a decision with regard to the changes would be made soon. The city added that it would act in accordance to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and that in any event the race will not be cancelled but only be modified.

35,000 people are expected to take part in all of the marathon's events on Friday.

Judy Siegel-Izkovich contributed to this report.